Fragrant Plants

The rosette-like clusters of glossy, wide, succulent, medium green, tapering foliage resembles a bromeliad in many regards but is actually a close kin of the more common Wandering Jew and Spiderworts. Mature Basket Plant mothers may produce upright to arching branching stems that are adorned with basket-like clusters of dainty, white, fragrant flowers that are likely pollinated by hummingbird and Sphinx moths. New pups are typically produced at the ends of long, spidery trailing arms and can be up to 36" long. This is an easy and rewarding, heirloom plant suitable even for beginners and it can be enjoyed indoors as well as out. The Basket Plant, Callisia fragrans, is a naturally evergreen, tropical perennial with individuals growing to about 6-10"H x 12"W. It can be enjoyed as hanging basket and container specimens and is also used as an easy and low maintenance groundcover in areas with mild winter climates. It is reported to withstand some direct sunlight but the leaves tend to lay down and may take on purple tinging, we personally think it looks the best when grown in light shade or with a short period of cool direct sunlight like very early or very late in the day. Provide a well-drained, average moist soil and allow the soil to become somewhat dry between waterings. Item# 12908

Round clusters of lavender to white tubular flowers are born in summer on this durable native perennial. Wild Bergamot is a clump forming native perennial with good deer resistance. Excellent for hummingbirds and butterflies. This tough little native is drought tolerant and prefers to be on the dry side of moist and is resistant to drought once well-established. The fragrant foliage has been used in teas, perfumes, potpourri, and more. Item# 10484.

Highly mildew resistant and a dwarf compact habit! The dense whorled clusters of 2" long, deep violet, pollinator attracting, tubular flowers are held atop sturdy 12-18" high stems against the foil of purple-tinged, medium to deep green fragrant foliage. Bee-You® Bee Pretty™ Beebalm is a compact selection of this US native, clump-forming, slowly spreading perennial. Its small stature lends it to use as a container plant as well as a useful component of the garden and landscape. Provide ample sunlight in a moist but well-drained, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Flowering begins earlier in the warmer portions of its range and later in cooler regions. The flowers of Monarda are excellent for attracting hummingbirds and larger butterflies. Photos courtesy of Plants Nouveau, all rights reserved. Item# 12863

The intensely fragrant, up to 4" wide, double white flowers may produced throughout much of the year under warm tropical conditions and are held against a foil of large glossy dark green foliage. Belmont Gardenia is almost old enough to be an heirloom variety being patented in 1934 by Walter E. Lenk on Belmont Estate, Massachussets. In his patent application, PP93, he states that "The variety is an extraordinarily heavy producer and can be propagated rapidly. If not pinched back this variety blooms almost continuously and readily adapts itself to maximum production of blossoms in the Winter when they are so valuable." Obviously, Mr. Lenk developed it for greenhouse production but it has proven to be a highly desirable Gardenia clone that is still popular today and has proven to be hardy into zone 7. It is fairly similar to Aimee Yoshioka and Miami Supreme in vigor and flower size. In the garden and landscape, expect flowering to be heaviest in spring and summer with some repeat flowering into fall on mature plants. Item# 12299

The spike-like clusters (racemes) of tiny fragrant white flowers of Berlandier's Fiddlewood attract a whole host of pollinators including butterflies large and small, bees, and many other beneficials. Pollinated flowers are followed by long clusters of attractive orange berries that mature to black and are utilized by a variety of birds and mammals. This is an adaptable South Texas native that develops into a medium to large deciduous shrub to small tree. Item# 11368

The extra large flowers of Betty Magnolia can be up to 8" across and are pinkish purple to reddish purple on the outside and are white to near white on the inside. This is a vigorous growing Magnolia that typically grows as wide as it is tall with a naturally rounded habit on mature plants. Like the other 'Little Girls' in this series from the US National Arboretum, Betty flowers later minimizing the chance of freeze damage to the flowers. Item# 11483

Lavender flowers emerge from dense, dark purple to near black bottlebrush-like spikes beginning in summer and continuing until fall. Black Adder Agastache is a vigorous sterile hybrid with fragrant licorice scented foliage and so it continues to flower throughout the growing season. Easy to grow and the flowers attract loads of pollinators especially bees. Item# 10807.

Showy deep violet-purple, fragrant spikes, to 8" long, are held at the ends of the arching, woody stems. Black Knight Butterfly Bush is an exceptionally free-flowering shrub, producing the intensely deep purple, fragrant flowers  from spring until fall. An excellent choice for butterfly gardens as well as providing nectar for a host of other pollinators including hummingbirds. Black Knight, an RHS Award of Garden Merit winner, is still one of the most strikingly colored and popular of all Buddlejas grown today. Item# 322.

The large, soft pumpkin orange, trumpet shaped, fragrant flowers are highlighted by a contrasting starry, lemony yellow throat and are held in clusters atop thick, sturdy stems well above the bluish green strap-like foliage. Blossfeld's Amaryllis is a rare but quickly multiplying hardy, bulbous perennial suitable for the garden or as an easy and rewarding container plant. Item# 11586

This award winning Agastache produces tall spikes of deep purplish blue tubular flowers held on sturdy stems atop rich deep green fragrant foliage. The flower show lasts for an exceptionally long period and begins in early summer with butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds all showing up for the feast. A drought resistant perennial preferring well drained mostly sunny sites, Blue Boa Agastache requires minimal care and provides big rewards. Photo courtesy of TERRA NOVA® Nurseries, Inc. www.terranovanurseries.com. Item# 10918.

Large clusters of lightly fragrant, pale blue flowers held on 12-14" high stems are produced in early spring to early summer, depending on your zone, attracting mainly butterflies, long-tongued bees, and sphinx and hummingbird moths. Blue Buttons' Lapham's Phlox, is a selection of Phlox laphamii, a.k.a. P. divaricata var. laphamii, that is reported to have a slightly longer flowering season, petals that are without clefts and are rounded to pointed, wider foliage and may have a slight preference for shade above that of typical Woodland Phlox. This is an evergreen to semi-evergreen, slowly spreading native perennial that makes a choice groundcover in average moist to moist, well-drained, fertile soils preferably rich in organic matter. Provide shade during the heat of the day such as morning sun, filtered shade, and deciduous shade seems to be about perfect as they receive sunlight during the majority of the growing season but are shaded by the time summer arrives. Item# 12878

Masses of dense blue spikes of fragrant, tubular flowers are held above the licorice scented, rich green foliage in summer on this highly sought after Agastache. The nectar rich flowers of Blue Fortune Agastache attract hordes of native pollinators and other beneficials to the garden. The beautiful form, fragrance, and flower power, and proven performance of this Agastache have made it a hit in gardens across the US. Use Blue Fortune in mass at the back of the border or in small specimen groupings to make a splash of long lasting color. Item# 10882.

Soft pastel pink with hints of purple 6-8" long trumpets are produced seemingly throughout the year on this smaller growing hybrid Angel's Trumpet with trumpets angled down and sideways versus just the typical straight downward hanging trumpets of most Brugmansia cultivars. Blushing Bride Brugmansia is a compact and smaller growing plant with probably the longest flowering season of any that we currently grow. The smaller habit lends it to use as a magnificent container specimen. Due to its Brugmansia sanguinea parentage we are not yet certain of its cold hardiness in the ground but some suggest zone 8. Provide a moderately fertile, well-drained average moist soil and midday shade for optimum vigor and flowering. Blushing Ballerina is sweetly night fragrant. Item# 11667

The tall spikes of deep golden yellow 1"+ wide flowers emerge from dark, near black buds and calyxes atop the tropical looking, up to 18" long, pinnately compound foliage composed of fragrant, deep olive green, rounded leaflets. The flowers may be produced throughout the warmer months of the year attracting bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. Buttered Popcorn Cassia, Senna didymobotrya, is a heat and sunloving, loosely branching, tropical shrub typically growing to 6-8' high, potentially larger in warmer climates with longer growing seasons and generally shorter, 4-6'H, in cooler summer climates. Gently rub the rounded slightly fuzzy leaflets and they will emit a fragrance similar to buttered popcorn to peanut butter depending on your nose which is certainly a good conversation starter especially for the younger generations. The Buttered Popcorn Cassia adds a splash of summerlong color and a tropical feel to any sunny setting. Provide a well-drained, fertile soil, in full to mostly sunny conditions for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 9018

Lightly honey scented, white to cream, tight ball-like flower clusters are produced on new growth in late spring and summer and attract an array of butterflies, bees, and other garden beneficials. The Buttonbush is a vigorous, medium-sized to large growing, deciduous shrub that does best in consistently moist soils with most of a day of sunlight. A moderate to severe annual pruning of established plants in late winter helps to promote fuller plants and the most flowers. Item# 9247.

Masses of 2" wide upward facing intensely fragrant flowers are composed of two neat rows of white petals that surround the golden anthers are produced in late spring or early summer. Buttons Gardenia develops into a densely branched small rounded evergreen shrub growing to about 1-1/2' high and wide. You can use this "cute as a button" Gardenia in a sunny garden or landscape but it is also small enough to be grown as a container plant. Gardenias will do best in a well-draining, moderately fertile to rich, acidic soil in a full to mostly sunny site. Images courtesy of Star Roses and Plants, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 11948

Intense raspberry pink, nectar rich, fragrant flowers are produced in dense spikes held at the ends of the arching branches and contrast nicely with the gray-green foliage on compact plants. Buzz™ Hot Raspberry Butterfly Bush or Buddleia was selected for its slightly smaller densely branching compact stature as well as its exceptional flower power. The Buzz series of Butterfly Bushes are small enough to be enjoyed as fragrant patio container plants where they can draw pollinators in close as well as in the garden and landscape. Provide a full to mostly sunny location in a well-drained average moist soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Images courtesy of Ball Horticulture, all rights reserved. Item# 12113

Large rounded clusters of lightly fragrant 1" wide deep coral pink flowers that lighten to near white toward the base of the petals and with a fuchsia eye sit atop sturdy stems and are produced beginning in late spring and continuing through summer potentially into fall. Coral Crème Drop™ Garden Phlox is another exceptionally disease resistant Phlox paniculata hybrid from the Candy Store series with rich deep dark green often bronze-tinged foliage on well-branched plants that are a little more compact than most Garden Phlox cultivars reaching only about 24" high. This is a slowly spreading clump-forming perennial that will eventually develop into a dense mass of stems and foliage that is topped for weeks by the bright and showy nectar rich flowers that attract butterflies, hummingbirds, and hummingbird moths. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in well-drained fertile soils for optimum vigor and flowering. Images courtesy of Plants Nouveau, all rights reserved. Item# 12206

Large rounded to conical clusters of fragrant 1" wide purple flowers with a red-purple eye and with each petal brushed with 2 light strokes of bright contrasting white are produced beginning in summer and can continue into fall. The flowers of Phlox are butterfly pollinated but they may also attract larger bees and hummingbirds. Candy Store™ Grape Lollipop Garden Phlox is a clump forming selection of the native perennial Phlox paniculata with extra dark green disease resistant foliage that adorns the dark colored sturdy stems. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in well-drained, fertile soils for optimum vigor and flowering. Image courtesy of AG3, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 12040

Clusters of light pink, nicely fragrant, somewhat funnel-shaped to tubular flowers are held against a foil of coppery pink, long-lasting bracts and bright golden yellow foliage beginning in late spring to early summer and continuing into fall. Canyon Creek Glossy Abelia, an open pollinated seedling of Abelia chinense that was selected through Dr. Michael Dirr's breeding program at UGA, is a vigorous growing cultivar with some of the best yellow foliage of any shrub on the market today. The glossy, medium to fine-textured foliage starts out a contrasting coppery red and matures to bright sunny to golden yellow and finally to green in summer providing interest throughout the year and will have the best color where it receives at least a half a day or more of direct sunlight in a moderately fertile to rich soil. Utilize this tough and easy, evergreen to semi-evergreen medium to large shrub in the garden or landscape as a specimen plant or formal to informal hedge. The fragrance of the flowers in a bouquet can be enough to fill a room. Highly recommended. Item# 3073

Masses of bright yellow, 1" long trumpets herald the coming of spring and have a strong Jasmine-like fragrance that is produced in early evening and at night suggesting that they are pollinated by hummingbird or sphinx moths as well as by native bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. *It is not a suitable nectar plant for honeybees. Carolina Yellow Jessamine, Gelsemium sempervirens, is a native, twining, evergreen to semi-evergreen vine with glossy, dark green, narrow foliage that can climb up to 20' high but is just as happy on a 6' fence or other sturdy support. It is native to the southeastern US from eastern Texas, all along the Gulf Coast, north to Virginia, as well as in the southern half of Arkansas and about 3 counties in southcentral Tennessee. Provide Carolina Jasmine with a full sun to mostly sunny site in an average to well-drained, fertile soil for optimum growth and to maximize flowering. Although, it is shade tolerant it doesn't flower as profusely. Tough and easy as well as drought, deer, and rabbit resistant. Its fragrance is enough to stop you in your tracks on an evening stroll! Item# 1208

An Earth-Kind® Rose selection, an RHS Award of Garden Merit Winner, and was inducted into the Old Rose Hall of Fame in 1988. It produces clusters of medium to light pink, fragrant, high centered, perfectly formed, tea-rose shaped buds that open to the typical strappy, 2" wide pom-pom like flower typical of the Polyanthas and flowers throughout the growing season. Cècile Brünner Rose, a.k.a. Mme. Cècile Brünner and The Sweetheart Rose, is a moderately vigorous heirloom garden rose maturing to about 3-4' high and wide. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist, fertile soil with average or better drainage for optimum vigor and flowering. It was developed in 1881 by Joseph Pernet-Ducher and is still highly popular 150 years later. The sweet pink buds are almost perfect for boutonnières and have a nice typical rose fragrance. Item# 12832